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Can plastic fit in the palm of your hand? Don’t recycle it.

Most small plastics don’t get recycled, and putting them in your bins could end up doing more harm than good, experts say.

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Workers sort recycling material at the Waste Management Material Recovery Facility in Elkridge, Maryland. Some 900 tons of trash are dumped at all hours of the day and night, five days a week, on the conveyor belts at the plant. Small plastics can get stuck in the equipment and further complicate the recycling process. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
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When it comes to recycling plastics, size matters.

Most small plastics don’t get recycled, and putting them in your bins could end up doing more harm than good, said Susan Collins, president of the Container Recycling Institute, a nonprofit group. These tiny items, such as condiment pouches, pill packaging, or contact lenses and cases, can fall through the equipment at sorting facilities or end up mixed in with other recyclables, further complicating the recycling process.